The Black Student Union at Kansas State University is calling for criminal charges against the 21-year-old black man who defaced his own car with racist graffiti in what he described as a Halloween prank that got out of hand.

The group posted on its Facebook page late Monday a statement saying it was "appalled, disgusted and hurt" by the false report. Police earlier had announced that Dauntarius Williams admitted that Wednesday's incident was a prank. Police said they thought charges wouldn't be in the community's best interest.

The union said that the fact that an African-American man was involved should not diminish its effect on students. It urged Riley County authorities to reconsider pressing charges. Reports of the graffiti fueled racial tensions at the university and in the community.